April 12, 2003

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.

The No. 10 University of Tennessee Lady Vol golf squad opened up with a two-shot lead over home-standing Purdue after the first round of the Lady Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette, Ind. The Big Orange extended its lead to three shots with a two-round 605 (298-307) to set up a sprint to the finish in the third round starting Sunday with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.

"It has been a good tournament so far." Head Coach Judi Pavon said. "I am glad to have the competition days available heading into the SEC Championships to play at the site of the NCAA Championships. The course is in great shape. The temperature is nice, but it is extremely windy. It was a very difficult day because the players had to play 36 holes in the wind. The team played really well, though. No one let their rounds get away from them in the tough conditions. I am pleased with the way that we played thus far."

Individually, Jessica Shepley (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) fired a four-over 148 (72-76) to tie South Carolina's Kristy McPherson, who is playing as an individual, for first place. Shepley's first round stands as the eighth par-or-under round of her career. She is also in contention for the initial medal of her career.

"Jessica has been phenomenal this year." Pavon said. "She will not let herself have a bad day. I am really proud of her. She grinds it out hole-after-hole and shot-after-shot. She did not play the par-fives that well today. So, she has some room for improvement tomorrow. A win would be huge for her and she really deserves it."

As for the rest of the orange-clad linksters, junior Tai Perry (Unionville, Pa.) tied for fifth-place with a 150 (73-77) and is on pace for a career-best finish at the Lady Boilermaker. Perry's previous best was a seventh-place closing at the Lady Gator this season. Freshman Violeta Retamoza (Aguascalientes, Mexico) carded an 11th-place tying 152 (76-76), while fellow classmate Golda Johansson (Lund, Sweden) broke out of a slump to fire a 21st-place tying 155 (77-78). Junior Mary Jan Fernandez (Henderson, Nev.) registered a 162 (83-79) to tie for 42nd-place and round out the Big Orange effort.